It is never too late to take up cooking

Pumpkin bread

Normally, I only publish dishes I have made with my own hands. But, this pumpkin bread baked by the lovely K. made me change my mind. I picked a slice, and just couldn’t stop eating it. I had to go for a second slice. And a glass of milk. Then, everything make sense again…

Pumpkin bread

Ingredients

3/4 (=100g) white flour

3/4 (=100g) wholewheat flour

½ teaspoon of salt

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup pumpkin purée (see recipe below)

½ cup (=115mL ) olive oil

2 eggs, beaten

¼ cup water (=60mL)

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon allspice

½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F (=180°C) and generously coat the inside of a loaf pan with your preferred cooking spray. Use a non-stick pan, if you have one.

Bake the bread for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick or knife inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. If the loaf is browning too quickly on top, you can cover it with foil for the last ten to fifteen minutes of baking.

Turn your pumpkin bread out of the pan and let it cool on a wire rack. Quick breads taste great warm but will crumble badly when you cut them before they have cooled completely. The bread will taste best after sitting for several hours or overnight, to allow the flavors to marry

Pumpkin purée

To make pumpkin purée, cut a small pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds and strings. Lay the halves facedown on a foil- or parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake them at 350°F until soft, about 45 min to an hour.

You can also cut your pumpkin into pieces and roast or boil them until tender. This makes removing the skin much easier. Cool the squash, scoop out the flesh, and mash it with a fork. Freeze whatever squash you don’t use